RWBY: Dysfunctional Product
by Existential Anomaly
Summary: Something strange is amiss as a "weapon" is freed upon the world of Remnant.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

The Vale Police Department was hot on Junior's tracks. They had been tracking Junior for well over a month now on suspicion of making deals for illegal substances. However, they soon found that what Junior had been doing was far, far worse. Junior had been working with Roman Torchwick by supplying him with weapons. Apparently, Junior was headed to a hidden location far away from civilization after some fabled "hidden container". Rumor had it that the kingdom had sanctioned the creation of some sort of super-weapon, codenamed "Monster", for use against the creatures of Grimm. When they first tried to use this weapon on the battlefield, it ended up killing everybody, on both sides. After this disaster, the kingdom had it locked up and hidden from all so that it would never be found… until now.

"So, do ya believe in these sorta stories, Gavin?" "Naw, man, this is just a friggin' ghost story," replied Gavin, "besides, even if it is real, you think Junior's stupid enough to try actually usin' it?" "Ya neva know, ya know?" replied Michael. They then stopped their banter and started following Junior on foot, as he had just gotten out of the car. "This's gonna be an easy arrest, right, Gavin?" "I hope so, man, we don't get paid enough for this sh*t." Junior then stopped at a heavy vault door and ordered his men to place charges. "Are they crazy or somethin'!? They might blow up that weapon!" Gavin then pulled Michael to the ground, urging him to shut it. "Let's just see what happens." remarked Gavin. By now Junior and his men had gotten through the door. "Should we go after them?" asked Michael, with his pistol drawn. "No, too risky," Gavin said this with a sigh,"what was that about an easy arrest?"

Junior had entered through the vault door, and was now faced with a hallway with five doors. "Huh? Why would a weapon need this many rooms?" he wondered. He then ordered his men to check every room. There was a bathroom, a library, a gym, and a kitchen. The final door lay at the end of the hall. "If there's going to be a weapon anywhere, it'd be… wait, what's that noise?" There was a tapping noise coming from the room, tap, tap, tap… Junior readied his weapon and opened the door. As soon as the door was open, Junior could see what the source of the tapping was. Some kid, around 12 years old or so, was bouncing a ball off the wall. The kid then stopped, "Hello there, I'm guessing that you're here for me?" "What? No, we're here for some kind of weap-wait, who the hell are you?" "Well, they never really gave me a real name, so I guess the closest thing to a name I have is Monster." Junior was baffled by this revelation; this strange kid was the weapon? But then he took a closer look at him. Monster had a very unusual look to him, his clothing was that of a white patient's garb, he had shoulder-length hair that was parted down the center, and it was mostly black with several streaks of white and a strand of blood orange on each side. His skin was pale, about as pale as Roman. But the most disturbing feature was his eyes, they were the same color as the orange in his hair, accept far deeper. It was as if you could see his very soul, or lack thereof.

"You're the weapon?" asked Junior, astonished. "You're not very bright, are you? I am, in fact, the weapon that is kept in this vault." Monster said. "H-how long have you been trapped in here?" asked Junior. "About 2 and a half years by now, I think. But it looks like that's about to change! So, allow me to ask again, you're here for me, right?" "I guess I am…" Junior was a bit frightened; this kid had supposedly murdered both men and beasts indiscriminately on both sides. Regardless, he decided to take the kid anyways. There were probably parts of the story he didn't know, such as circumstances and the like.

Detectives Michael and Gavin saw Junior stepping out of the vault with… is that a kid? "Uh huh, well, that's different," said Gavin, "sometimes, this job gets interesting, ya know, Mikey?" "Yeah, I know, Gav. Lets just save that kid and get outta here." They then ran up and held Junior at gun point, "You're under arrest for- GLUH!" Gavin looked down and found that the kid had used a kitchen knife to stab him in the gut. Monster also had a meat cleaver in his right hand, which he had at the ready. "If you think I'm going to let the kingdom imprison me again, think again!" He then embedded the cleaver into Gavin's skull. Everyone else was shocked to say the least. Monster then took the two knives and used them simultaneously to completely bisect Michael. "Guh, wh-why?" Michael gurgled out, "We were only trying to save y-yoooooouuuuu…" Michael had died while trying to warn Monster, which Monster responded to by telling Junior "If you ever try to betray me, or take away my freedom, I will kill you." Monster said this last part with a psychotic grin. "Hey, man, I'm just getting paid to bring you to a new employer. What you do from there has nothing to do with me." Junior said defensively. They then rode off to an undisclosed location within the city.


	2. Chapter 1: A Normal Day

Chapter 1: An Average Day

18 MONTHS LATER: Team RWBY had decided to use their day off to go shopping. "Oooh! A new issue of Weapons Magazine!" exclaimed Ruby. "You know, most girls would get excited over things like clothes or jewelry, heck even videogames would make more sense than weapons!" said Weiss, who was looking at said normal things. "Whatever, you're just jealous that I have better tastes than you!" Ruby replied. "What's that supposed to mean!?" this went on to become a very pointlessly long argument on who's preferences were better than the other's. Blake and Yang just rolled their eyes as the group walked through the market square, trying to enjoy the sun despite such debacles. After the team was done shopping the sun started to set, so they started planning dinner, "So, should we eat out tonight?" "Having dinner at a restaurant would be nice, but how much money do we have left?" "Let's see, I have about five Lien, Yang has about… yeah let's just eat at home." The group then went back to their dorm.

Ruby then turned on the TV to the Vale News Network as they ate, "The Crimson Berserker strikes again! Police have been after this serial killer for 16 months and still don't even know what their face looks like! With absolutely no leads on them, even the Crimson Berserker's gender remains a mystery! All that we know is that all Crimson murders have taken place in or around Vale so stay vigilant and remain inside at night! This is Lisa Lavender, signing off!"

"I've heard about this one," said Blake, "the reason the press call them the Crimson Berserker is because they don't just kill people, they absolutely mutilate them. Chopping, ripping, and beating are just a few of several ways they kill, and it's always several people at a time. They've found DNA at the scenes but it doesn't match anyone on record, so that means that the Crimson Berserker has never even been suspected of murder." Blake then looked out the window and over the city, "I'd love to see whoever is doing this behind bars my self."

"Don't worry, Blake, I'm sure the police will handle this." Ruby reassured her. "They haven't been able to "handle this" for over a year. I'm certain that if it weren't for the repeated murders, they would've given up by now" Blake sighed, "It just makes me angry that we can't do anything about it while people are being slaughtered left and right. Sometimes I feel that criminals have taken over the city."

"Don't say things like that! There have always been bad guys," Ruby then did a fist-pump, "and it's the good guy's job to stop them!" The rest of the team responded with a resounding "YEAH!" "But in all seriousness, we should be vigilant as well, maybe we'll be the ones to catch the murderer in the act!" said Yang. "What about you, Weiss? What do you think about the scary Crimson Berserker?" "Well, of course I feel the same as all of you! A murderer's a murderer; they should be brought to justice as soon as possible!" responded Weiss. "Then it's settled, we should see if we could help in the investigation!" exclaimed Ruby. Everyone agreed to this and decided that they would spend the next day helping out the police.


	3. Chapter 2: The Plan

Chapter 2: The Plan

Team RWBY decided to go to the local police station to see if they could assist in the arrest of the killer in any way. "I dunno, a bunch of Huntresses in training? Aren't you a bit too young to be getting involved in stuff like this?" asked Commander-in-Chief Ramsey. "Please sir, we know the risks! We just want to help in any way we can!" begged Ruby. "Well… okay, here's the thing." Ramsey leaned in closer, "Every investigator and cop who's gotten close to even seeing this maniac has ended up dead. In fact, most of the victims claimed are from the force. We once even sent in a mercenary group that had fancy weapons and Dust and everything. Can you guess what happened to them!?" At this point Ramsey was starting to shudder and sweat, obviously the aging cop was traumatized from these events.

"Have you ever thought about trying to contact Beacon?" asked Ruby. "Why would a Hunter go after a serial killer?" Ramsey began asking, "They're all about killing Grimm, right?" "You have a good point," replied Ruby, "but it seems that the police are having a lot of trouble with this." "How do you intend to take this guy down?" "By bringing in some re-enforcements." replied Ruby, with a confident smile.

"You want to do WHAT with me and my team!?" asked Jaune, shocked at the proposal. "Think about it! We took down a Nevermore _and_ a Death Stalker in the Emerald Forest, how hard could it be to take down one human being?" "A human being who's killed countless professionals," replied Ren, "fighting a human is way different from fighting a creature of Grimm." "Sorry if this sounds rude, but didn't they kill a whole team of professional mercenaries? How could we be any better than them?" asked Pyrrha. "Because we have a plan!" replied Ruby.

Ruby then took out a map of Vale. "Me and my team made this plan with the police, and have agreed that this is the best course of action. The teams will split up into groups of two, each group searching in a different part of the city. When someone has caught the attention of the killer, they'll run towards the center of town, where the police are stationed. If the killer manages to somehow prevent you from running, use the emergency beacon so that everyone else can find you and catch the killer anyway."

"Ooo! Sounds dangerous! I wanna do it!" said Nora, excitedly. "It does sound really risky," said Pyrrha, "but I suppose I didn't come to Beacon for safety." "I guess I'm in if Nora's in." said Ren. Jaune looked at everyone like they were insane, "You all seriously want to do this? Purposely making yourself into bait for some psychopath!?" "Please Jaune? The plan can only work if there are eight people!" begged Ruby. "I'll do it, but only because the rest of my team is also in on this horrible plan." remarked Jaune. "Then it's settled! We execute this plan tonight!" Ruby was excited; she was finally gonna do something heroic!


	4. Ch 3: Capturing the Crimson Berserker

Chapter 3: Capturing the Crimson Berserker

M looked down at his final victim for the night. This one begged for his life, swearing that he wouldn't tell anyone if he was spared. "So you're saying that it's fair that all of these people die, and you survive? People like you sicken me." M then readied the wrench in his right hand, "No! No, please! I'll do anything!" The wrench then came down. As it impacted the man's skull, bits of gray matter, spinal fluid, and blood gushed out in all directions. It splattered onto M's shirt. What a disgusting job, killing for some flamboyant crime lord who wanted him to cover up a plan that he knew nothing about. Monster absolutely loved his job.

Monster then reached for his ear-piece, "Yo, Roman, I'm done here." "Good, is all the evidence cleared up?" Monster then smiled at his own handiwork, "Yeah, the "Crimson Berserker" has struck again." This incited a chuckle from Roman, "They have no clue, do they? I guess your unorthodox methods have completely side-tracked the police. I suppose these methods do have that "serial killer-y" sort of quality to them, huh? I know I'd never suspect these killings of being done by a professional assassin. Well M, anyways, get back to base. We don't want you to get caught now, do we?" Roman then turned off his radio. Monster sighed, he didn't like the name M, sounded unnatural. The only reason that it was his nickname was because Roman thought "Monster" was a mouthful.

Monster's thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone outside. He looked out of the window and saw some scruffy blonde haired guy and a woman with long, red hair. They were armed as well, and headed towards the building. Damn it, he recognized the red haired one as some sort of fighting super-star. The blonde one seemed to be a fool, though, so killing him shouldn't be a problem. They then entered the warehouse and gasped at the newest piece of public art that Monster had just made. Monster decided that the best approach would be to simply introduce him self.

Pyrrha a and Jaune looked at the scene in horror; there were multiple dead bodies, with almost all of them rendered unrecognizable due to the damage done to them. They all were chopped up, cut in half, or had caved in skulls. Jaune had to hold back from vomiting on the spot. Then, a figure appeared from the shadows, "Hello, friends! Quite a lovely evening we have here, don't you think?" He was a teenage boy about Ruby's age that was also around the same height as her. The boy had shoulder-length black hair with white streaks and orange strands, topped off by a patrol cap of the same color scheme. His eyes were a very deep orange. His clothing was a punkish style which consisted of an un-tucked buttoned-up white shirt with a few undone top buttons, a loose orange tie, and a black jacket with jeans and shoes of the same color. There was blood strewn across his chest. "My name is M, I'm fourteen years old, and my hobbies include cooking, knitting, and indiscriminate murder!" "Jaune, run!" They then ran away as fast as they could. "Well then," Monster raised the wrench and industrial hack-saw he'd used as weapons that night, "I guess we'll do this the hard way."

As Jaune and Pyrrha ran, Pyrrha looked behind her just in time to dodge an aerial attack. She tripped and fell as "M" continued his assault. Jaune activate the distress beacon that was meant for a situation like this, and then swung at M. M blocked said attack with his two make-shift weapons, "That's a nice sword, maybe I'll take it from your stiff corpse!" This scared Jaune, but the intimidation backfired as he responded with fight rather than flight. Jaune attacked M with enough force to kill an Ursa, but M's weapons managed to block that too. "How the hell do those tools not break!?" exclaimed Jaune. "I might tell you in a bit when your bleeding out of your bisected torso!" responded M, who was having way too much fun with this. Pyrrha then knocked him away from Jaune, "You don't scare me!" She then attempted to stab him right in the leg with her spear, which he promptly deflected away using his hack-saw. "Oh, is the little Huntress gonna be big all of a sudden?" taunted M.

In truth this was the worst possible outcome since Monster had planned to kill Pyrrha with a single blow, and then deal with Jaune; he hadn't anticipated Jaune to be formidable at combat at all. It was then that six more Hunters leapt out of the shadows, weapons at the ready. Then what seemed like all of the police in Vale came out of nowhere and shot Monster with enough paralyzing Dust rounds to put down a Nevermore. "What the-" was all Monster managed to get out before fainting.


	5. Chapter 4: Something New

Chapter 4: Something New

Monster woke up with his wrists in cuffs, "What… how?" As if to answer his questions, a man with grey hair that wore a green scarf started talking from outside the cell. "Some of my students helped in your capture and you are now to be held here until your trial." "Who are you?" "My name's Professor Ozpin and I run this fine academy." "Academy!? What kind of school has a jail cell!?" asked Monster, Professor Ozpin then gave a slight smile. "The kind which specializes in the capture of Grimm, of course." Then it all made sense, Monster concluded that the Hunters from last night must have been working with the police and captured him, and now he was awaiting trial. "How fitting." was Monster's only response, already trying his best to think of a plan to get out of here.

Teams RWBY and JNPR were declared local heroes, especially Pyrrha and Jaune. "Wow, you're so cool! What was it like to catch the killer in the act?" "Well, yours truly had no trouble defeating him, he was intimidating and strong, but proved no problem for me!" bragged Jaune, causing his newly found fan girls to squeal. Pyrrha sighed at the egotistical lies he was telling, "In any case, I heard that they're keeping him in the storage section of the school, perhaps we could pay him a visit." Monster had been struggling with his cuffs as Jaune and Pyrrha stepped in, "Ah, if it isn't the wonder twins them-selves." said Monster, clearly irritated, "I'm sorry if I'm not exactly thrilled to be seeing you right now." "I came here to find something out," started Pyrrha, "you said something about those tools you were using being strong for a specific reason, what was it?" "You'll have to find out when I break out of here and fucking kill you, you bitch!" yelled Monster, with a firestorm of fury behind his words, "When I break out of here, I'll kill you all! Every last one of you! You all feel the need to serve justice, to be the heroes! You'll all regret everything you've ever believed in! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" at this point Monster had started to sob and cry as he kept yelling, prompting Jaune and Pyrrha to step out of the room. "Woah, what a lunatic!" exclaimed Jaune. "Is it just me, or did feel like he wasn't even responding to us anymore?" As Pyrrha said this, Ruby had passed by them, "Hey Ruby, don't even bother trying to talk to him, he's just an angry guy." "Noted…" Ruby responded, she wanted to see the killer, and possibly try to understand him better.

Monster was in ruins, sobbing and crying, pain was all there was in his heart. _Will I die here? Would anyone care? Even if they did, it would still be better for everyone. Sure, killing is an enjoyable past-time, but… _his thoughts were interrupted by a girl in a red hood entering the room. "You're one of the Huntresses responsible for my capture…" said Monster. "Why were you crying just now?" "What did you just ask me?" Monster's pain-filled heart suddenly was tinted with something else. "I'm asking why you're crying…" the girl looked down, "sorry, let me start off by introducing myself." The girl then took off her hood to reveal an adorable face, Monster wasn't expecting that. "My name is Ruby Rose, I'm fifteen years old and I'm a student here at the academy." Monster felt somewhat flustered by this former introduction, his response was, "M-my name is… well, heh, I don't really have a name…" Ruby looked confused, "Don't have a name?" "Well, you see, um, I wasn't exactly given a name as a child." Started Monster, he was deeply blushing at this point and didn't know why, "I guess the closest thing I have to a name is Monster." Ruby looked even more confused, "Monster? Hmph, well, from what I here, the trial isn't for another few days, so I'll ask you more questions tomorrow, after you've had your rest." "Ah, goo-goodbye!" Monster was deeply confused at this point, nobody had ever talked to him like that, and when combined with her voice and the way she cared about him… what, what was this feeling in his chest? Now he no longer wanted to get out, not until he learned more about this girl.

As Ruby got ready to sleep for the night, her thoughts fell to Monster… why was he so awkward? Just were did he come from? Why did she think he was so cute? She then drifted to sleep and dreamt about him.


	6. Chapter 5: Escape from Beacon

Chapter 5: Escape from Beacon

Monster was awoken by the sound of his cage door creaking open, "What, who's there?" "It's me, Nightmare! I'm here to bust you out!" Ah, yes, Cary "Nightmare" Black. He was two years older than Monster, with short black hair, pale skin, piercing green eyes, and a black, hooded cloak with clothes of the same color. He was also very lean and was only an inch taller than Monster. He's the stealth expert in the same "team" as Monster. Cary was the one who collected data on people who found out about Roman's plans, and Monster was the one who silenced them. If Monster was a wolf, Cary was a rat.

As he was thinking this, Cary quickly pick-locked Monster's cuffs, "Come on, quickly! It won't be long until someone notices!" "Wait," said Monster, thinking back to Ruby, "can we wait a day or two to set me free?" Cary was confused, "Huh? No, come on!" He grabbed Monster by the wrist, and Monster quickly pulled away, "Wha-what are you doing!? Come on!" "Why should I?" At this Cary suddenly realized that Monster had changed. "Uh, what the hell, why are you so… insistent?" he then smirked, "Did you fall in love with someone?" Monster's face went into a deep red, "N-no… no!" "Awww, the soulless Monster has a heart after all!" Cary couldn't resist teasing Monster in times like this, "So, what's she like? Is she cute? *GASP* Is she a man!?" Monster felt an overwhelming bout of embarrassment as Cary kept harassing him, "F-fine! I'll go! I was just interested in something here, geez!" On that note, they disappeared into the night.

Ruby had decided that she would go to see Monster in the morning this time since she couldn't get much out of him last night. She really wanted to know more about him like what his past is like, why he wasn't given a name, what he likes to do in be-. Ruby stopped for a second, _Why would you think like that, he's a serial killer!_ She corrected her thoughts. _This is a professional exchange. If I'm to fight evil, I want to understand it! _She then picked up her pace, and when she reached the containment room… "Oh no." Monster was gone, his cage ajar and cuffs left hanging. She immediately alerted Professor Ozpin to the situation.

They went through city streets, back-alleys, and even the sewers, Nightmare and Monster, on the unusual but familiar route back to base. It was there that they met up with Roman, their employer and caretaker. "Well, M, I suppose I should apologize. From now on I'll make sure that Cary here is always making sure that nobody interferes." said Roman, who ruffled Cary's hair. Monster sighed, "Yeah…" "Hey, woah, what's the matter? What has you so down all of a sudden?" asked Roman, who seemed concerned for his personal assassin. Monster knew him well enough to know that he didn't actually care about how Monster felt, because Roman Torchwick had no real heart to use to start caring. Then Cary just had to speak up, "Monster has a girlfriend!" He said this in the most mocking tone possible. "Really!? You of all people!?" said Roman with genuine surprise. "No, that's not true at all! We just talked for like, a second!" At this point Monster was just making excuses, and it only made Roman and Cary laugh at his plight. "In all seriousness, M, let me be the first to tell you that this business doesn't leave much room for any committed relationships. I mean, what would you talk about during dinner? How easy your last target was?" "Whatever, I'm not actually that interested." This, of course, was a complete lie, "Any new missions?"

Ruby felt strange that day, as if she had missed something. Yang noticed her sister's feelings, "What's up, sis? You seem a bit down." "It's nothing." responded Ruby. "Is it about how the Berserker escaped?" asked Yang. "I already told you, Yang, his name is Monster." Ruby rested her cheek on her hand, "At least that's what he told me." Yang had a smile on her face. "What?" "I've seen this sort of concern before, and it always occurs when," Yang then giggled a bit, "when potential couples are separated!" Ruby flushed a deep red, " Are you saying I have a crush on a serial killer!?" "Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of, tons of girls your age like the "Bad Boy"!" At this point, Yang had Blake and Weiss' attention. "That's not how it is! I mean, sure, I might have had dreams… gah! Shut up!" The rest of the team laughed out loud, not believing a word of what poor Ruby was saying. "You guys suck! I'm leaving!" Ruby then went into the bathroom and sat down in one of the stalls, _Oh god, even I don't believe myself! Ruby, what the hell!? Do you really want a boyfriend that badly!?_ She stayed in there for a long time until she calmed down. When she returned, the rest of team RWBY apologized for their incessant teasing, not realizing just how serious her conflicting emotions were.

Monster found himself distracted by his thoughts for most of his next mission. This was literally the worst kind of mission he could be on after being so suddenly and effortlessly emotionally assaulted by that sweet, innocent, lovin-_no,_ _No, NO, NO! Dammit, Monster, you don't even know her! _ This had been his thought process for the last few hours, as he was following Roman as a bodyguard. _Why did that girl leave such an impression on me!? Am I finally starting to go stark-raving mad!?_ It was then that something finally happened, the police apparently knew where today's deal would take place and surrounded Roman and Monster. "This is the police, put your weapons on the ground and hands in the air!" "Hey, M, think you could help me out here?" Monster then took out the two large knives he brought along, "With pleasure!"

Monster then leapt around to avoid gun-fire and various Dust explosions, killing the closest guy first. With first blood, his Killing Drive kicked in. After that, no-one else stood a chance as he sliced a few dudes in half, ripped one limb-from-limb, and even partially skinned one of them. By the time ten minutes passed, all of the police were dead. "Eheheheh… hey Roman, do you think they'll ever make a connection between you and I?" "Well," Roman grinned, "I guess we just have to put faith in our good police, won't we? But just in case, let's destroy all evidence." Monster was more than willing to comply. He put all the bodies in their cars and then Roman made them explode using Melodic Cudgel. _The fire looks beautiful, _Monster thought, _this is my true meaning in life: taking the lives of others. I'm a fool to ever think otherwise!_ Monster and Roman then ran back to base, avoiding the police on the way.


	7. Chapter 6: Cary's Dating Service

Chapter 6: Cary's Dating Service

Monster woke up the next morning. He got up to go to the bathroom, but noticed something in the mirror. His eyes widened as he realized that his hair was both blonde _and_ short! Monster's hair was suddenly combed to the right, and just as suddenly he had blue contacts on. Monster then realized why these things happened, and yelled out, "Caaaaaaaaaaaary!" Cary then seemed to come out of nowhere, "Yes?" "What the hell is this!?" Monster pointed at his hair. "Well, you can't let Ruby know who you really are for the time being." Monster's eyes widened, "Wh-WHAT!?" "I guess I should explain, you see," Cary grinned, "I was so excited to hear that my beloved little brother found first love, I just had to investigate! Ruby Rose, 15 years old and attending Beacon Academy. You sure have good tastes. I also prodded a bit deeper and found that she has a thing for blonde guys, so we just killed two birds with one stone!" Monster controlled his anger, "What's your point?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, isn't it obvious? You're ready for a date with Ruby!" Monster threw a punch at Cary, but his Semblance was far too powerful for something like a punch hit him. "Anyways," Cary was behind him now, "As I was saying, you're going to "accidentally" bump into Ruby "on your way to the post office". And since you're going to be carrying a big stack of boxes, she'll have no choice but to help you! This is when you both talk to each other and see how much you have in common, deciding to go on a date when you've finished walking." "And what will you be doing?" Monster reluctantly asked. "I'm going to be hiding, and taking pictures of my adorable little brother with his first girlfriend!" Cary said this last part with a bit too much excitement. "I am NOT doing this!" Monster said firmly. Cary looked a bit annoyed, "Now you listen here, if you don't do this you'll end up dying alone! It's my duty as your older brother to make sure that that doesn't happen!"

Monster sighed; there was no way that he could escape from doing this. Cary truly was a Nightmare when it came to social situations, he always had been. Worse was that he considered Monster to be his little brother even though they only knew each other for just over a year. In fact, the only person who's ever seen Monster in action and still called him "cute" was Cary. He was the only person who could do things like that, since he had a Semblance that was so powerful that Monster couldn't even perceive it. "Well," Monster started, "I guess it's better than spending our day off doing nothing." Cary squealed in approval.

Ruby was walking to the store for groceries. She was worried about Monster and what he might do next, but ultimately resolved her feelings and decided to look for somebody else to date. As fate would have it, she ran into someone who turned at the wrong time. "Oh, I'm sorry! I should have looked where I was going!" Ruby apologized, "No it's fine." As she helped him pick up supplies she asked, "Do you need help with these?" The cute blonde-haired boy blushed, "Y-yes, help would be great." After walking for a while, Ruby asked, "What's your name?" "Uh, um… ah! Yes! My name is Monty Lister." He responded. Ruby giggled, "It took you that long to remember your name?" "Yea, sorry, there were other things on my mind, Ms…?" "Ruby. Ruby Rose." "So, Ruby, what're your interests?" "Well, I really like weapons! I also want to become a Huntress, so I'm going to Beacon." "Really? That's awesome!" Monster sighed inwardly as he thought about Cary watching him, he was probably video-taping it too.

The two engaged in small-talk as they walked along. They reached the post office and Monster deposited his load, which was really nothing but a whole bunch of blank paper. He looked back at Ruby, "So, want to hang out some time?" Ruby blushed, "You mean, like, a date?" Monty went beat-red, "Uh, well, um, heh, sure, I guess." Ruby giggled at how Monty got all flustered. "So, Town Square next Friday at 8 'o clock?" Monty asked, regaining his composure. "Sure, sounds good, see ya!" Ruby then ran off, excited for the upcoming event. "Well, aren't you good with the ladies?" Cary said. Monster turned around, "At least we'll get to know each other more. One question, when will I be able to take this dye out of my hair?" Cary's eyes went wide, "I… didn't think that far ahead…" "Y-you WHAT!?" "It'll be fine! When you get far enough along in the relationship, she won't care that you're a mass murderer!" Monster just stared at him, as Cary realized the absurdity of that last statement, 'I'll think of something."

When Ruby got home with the groceries, Yang could just see the excitement coming off of her. "What's got you so happy?" Yang asked. "A cute boy just asked me out!" Ruby said, a bit louder than she intended. "That's great! My little sister is finally getting out of her shell!" Blake and Weiss overheard them. "Well that's a surprise, somebody wasn't instantly annoyed by you?" said Weiss teasingly. "What's his name?" Blake asked, curious. "His name is Monty and he's super nice! We're going to go on a date next Friday!" said a very excited Ruby. "Is this because of that criminal?" asked Weiss. "Yes," Blake agreed, "you did seem _very_ interested in him." Ruby frowned slightly, she almost forgot about Monster, "I guess I was attracted to the Crimson Berserker, but now I've moved on from him." She looked down, embarrassed about the whole thing. "Well," Yang put her arm around Ruby, "I don't really care how it happened, I'm just proud that my sister has gotten so mature!" They then talked about Monty, among other things, for the rest of the evening. Meanwhile, Cary was watching from the window, _Hmm, it's going to be hard for Monster to reveal himself without this girl rejecting him… I guess we'll just have to wait for the right time._ He then climbed down the building and snuck back to their home.


	8. Chapter 7: The Cracked Mask

Chapter 7: The Cracked Mask

The next morning Monster looked at himself in the mirror. "Dammit, Cary. I get why dying it was a good choice, but did you really need to cut it as well!?" Cary was lounging in the living room of their shared apartment, playing video games with a disinterested look on his face, "Well, I've always thought that you would look better without all that long hair hiding your face," Cary then had a small smile, "and it looks like I was correct." By now Monster was behind him, and he smacked him across the head, "Dumbass! Not only did the long hair look better, now enemies can identify me way easier!" "Hmm, you've got a point their." Cary paused his game and started to think, "Hey! I have an idea! Let's spend today buying not only a mask, but a whole new outfit for the Berserker!" Monster looked at him with confusion, "I get the mask idea, but why a new outfit?" "For the sake of style, of course!" Cary said excitedly. Monster face-palmed, "Well, I never win in an argument with you," Monster walked to the bathroom, "let me put on my blue contacts first."

They came to a clothes shop. "Is this really okay?" Monster asked, "There's going to be a link between us and the Berserker if we assemble the new clothes in public." "It'll be fine," Cary said, "besides, it's not like anyone is going to be able to see you again and live." They then walked into the store, choosing a different style that consisted of a black long coat with a popped collar, black fingerless gloves, a turtleneck shirt, white dress pants, and white loafers. "Well, that just about makes up most of the new outfit, but what about the mask?" Monster asked. "Don't worry, I know the perfect place." Cary then led Monster to another store that sold art supplies. "Um, Cary," Monster asked, "why did you lead me here?" "Well," Cary twirled around, "I figured that the mask should be a custom job, so we're getting paint and a simple white porcelain mask." This made sense since Monster, despite his relatively violent personality, was a very good graphic artist. They then bought the art supplies and headed home. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure dressed in white watched from afar, unnoticed by the two.

As soon as they got home, Monster set up at the table. He took out the mask and black, white, and orange paint. He then carefully thought about what the design should look like. He decided that the design should reflect his line of work. The graphic design came to him, and he started painting. He decided to use the orange paint to make a cracking pattern along the right side. He then painted the spaces between the cracks white and black consecutively, leaving the rest of the mask white. The whole idea was for this mask to represent the destruction that he would bring to his enemies, showing that he would make them crack and shatter, he called it the "Cracked Mask". Cary looked over the new design, "Wow, I knew you would make an awesome looking mask!" Cary then hugged him, "I'm so proud of you little bro!" "Get off me." Monster said, being both annoyed and embarrassed.

The figure watched from the roof of the building next to them, "He sure has changed in the past week, hasn't he, my love?" He looked down at his pocket watch, a sad smile on his face.


	9. Chapter 8: Innocent Love

Chapter 8: Innocent Love

Days had passed, with Monster simply waiting for his next assignment from Roman. Apparently Roman wasn't very active that week, as he spent most of his time in stressful planning sessions with a woman who dressed in red and had golden eyes. When Monster asked Roman who she was, he simply responded with "my boss". Monster had listened to some of the meetings and her actual name was Cinder Fall. He decided not to try prodding any deeper and focused on the date that he set up with Ruby that Friday. He felt… nervous. Not quite the same type of nervous he felt when there were close calls on his missions, where he could simply switch on his Killing Drive; no, this was something that he had to use both his rational thought and positive emotions to pull off. His thoughts went back to what Roman said, _"This business doesn't leave much room for committed relationships."_ Had Roman said that out of experience? Could it be that deep inside the criminal mastermind that is Roman Torchwick, was a broken heart? Monster decided that he could ask Roman at another time, when he wasn't so stressed out.

Friday had finally arrived after possibly the most uneventful week since Monster's time in captivity. The whole day was spent discussing what "Monty Lister's" made up past was. It was decided that Monty Lister was a foster child who was raised in a foster home that was on the kingdom's country-side. From there he decided to move to the city with his older brother "Kyle". Monty became a local paperboy and Kyle was the bag boy of a local convenience store. It was in their shared apartment where they lived out a simple existence. "This isn't exactly the best back story ever, you know." Monster was a bit annoyed at how simplistic it all seemed. "Hey, girls like a simple back-story. It makes you seem much easier to process." Cary responded. _Well, whatever, _Monster thought, _at least I'll be able to remember it._

Ruby arrived at the Town Square. She wondered what Monty was going to do with her… maybe even what he would do _with_ her. She shut those perverted thoughts away, saving them for the correct time. Monty came up behind her, "Hey, Ruby!" Ruby was startled by his sudden appearance, "Oh, hey Monty!" "I've made reservations at this great restaurant," he then grabbed Ruby's hand, causing her to blush, "let's go!" They walked together for a while, "So, which restaurant are we going to?" Monty smiled, "It's this expensive place that has an all-you-can-eat buffet!" Ruby found herself loving his overwhelmingly positive attitude more than the idea of a great dinner. They then arrived at the restaurant, and got seated with their food.

Monster felt happier then he'd been in a very long time, just being around Ruby seemed to have that effect on him. The two then started talking. "So, where do you live?" Ruby asked. "I live in an apartment with my older brother, Kyle." Monty responded. "What a coincidence, I also live with an older sibling! Her name's Yang." They talked about their living situations for a while, laughing at some of the nonsense their respective siblings gave them, and then the conversation shifted to their pasts. "Yeah, both Kyle and I are foster children from the countryside." Ruby looked a little down, obviously finding this past quite sad; Monty didn't like that, so he ended on a more positive note. "After Kyle turned 16, we both decided to get our own jobs and rent out an apartment. Now we've settled in and I honestly really like it so far." Ruby smiled again, "That's great! You see, when I was young I lost someone important to me…" Monster held her hand, "You don't need to say anything that brings back bad memories. I don't like to see you frown." Ruby looked a bit shocked, "M-Monty! I… thank you, thank you so much for caring." They continued into the night, learning more and more about each other's personal lives. But it soon got late and they both had to go home. They exchanged contact info and moved on. When Monster got home, Cary was waiting, "So, how'd it go?" Monster was dead tired, so he just said, "I'll tell you tomorrow." Ruby got home, now confident that she was in love with Monty.


	10. Chapter 9: Thoughts of Homicide

Chapter 9: Thoughts of Homicide

"I'd say that it was a success, wouldn't you?" Cary remarked while eating breakfast. "Yeah, but I feel guilty for making her think that I'm someone else." said Monster. "The time will come for you reveal yourself to her." Cary reassured him. "The whole situation makes me want to kill something…" Monster said, a crazy look forming in his eyes. Cary smiled at his adoptive brother's sudden shift in mentality, "Well, next week you're going to be Roman's bodyguard while he and the White Fang steal a large shipment of Dust." Monster sighed; guard work usually meant boring work.

The next week, Monster rode with Roman and several White Fang in a Bullhead. As he looked at the White Fang members, he couldn't help but want to kill them, kill them all, _kill. _ He stopped when one of the members noticed him holding his blade while staring at them, the Cracked Mask covering all but his murderous orange eyes. They finally got to the docks and several White Fang filed out of the jet. Roman stayed inside though, "Sorry for the boring job, M, I want to work with these animals about as much as you do." Roman looked slightly irritated, "That damn woman doesn't know how incompetent these degenerates are." He then got up and out of the Bullhead and yelled, "Hey, what's the hold up!? We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace." Monster smiled at Roman's over-done hand gestures. Roman then walked over to a White Fang member who was having trouble with one of the cables, he asked Roman if he was using it correctly, to which Roman responded, "No, you idiot! This isn't a leash."

Monster's eyes went wide when a girl dressed in black was suddenly holding him at sword-point, "What the! Oh for f-" The girl yelled, "Nobody move!" The White Fang around her pulled out their weapons, "Woah, take it easy there, little lady." Roman said. More White Fang surrounded her, and she responded by taking off her bow to reveal cat ears, "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?" They lowered their weapons in shame. Then Roman just had to open his big mouth, "Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?" She held her sword closer to his throat, "What are you talking about?" "The White Fang and I are going in on a little joint business venture together." "Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation." Two Bullheads then hovered over them, "I wouldn't exactly consider it a "little" operation." Then, as the faunus girl was distracted, Roman fired his cane into the ground and the battle was on. Monster, this whole time, had been watching from the jet. He decided that now would be a good time to satisfy his bloodlust.

Roman shot at the girl a few times, but she ran away. Monster decided to allow Roman to deal with the monkey faunus who came out of nowhere while he went to kill the cat girl. He was equipped with a machete and a small axe to fight her with. Monster struck at her from above, but she swiftly dodged him. His Killing Drive pervaded his system, making him fast enough to go on the offensive in this fight. Unfortunately, she got the upper hand and struck him in the head with enough force to give him a concussion. Through his dazed vision, Monster slowly crawled back to the Bullhead. As he lay down in his seat, he watched on as Roman fought the two faunuses at once. Then, Ruby showed up, _Wh-what? What are you doing here? _ He then passed out in his seat.

When Monster woke up, he had a slight headache. _Dammit, it happened again! I hate when Killing Drive activates without my consent!_ Killing Drive was an ability unique to Monster. Basically, Monster could shut down his negative emotions and flood his mind with an overwhelming desire to kill. Unfortunately, it sometimes activated with little to no reason whatsoever. He looked around; he was in the warehouse that Roman called a base. Roman was standing next to him, he looked angry. "What the _hell_ were you doing that whole time?" he asked. Monster started to remember what had happened, "Well, I went after the f-" Roman cut him off, "I don't care! All I need to know is that I fought two faunus maniacs alone! Then some weird kid shows up and cuts two of the Bullheads in half and, and then," Roman looked furious, "I get back to my own hover-jet, and find you passed out on one of the seats!"

Monster thought about his next words carefully, he'd never seen Roman so angry before, "Look, I would've stopped them if that cat bitch hadn't knocked me out! It's a damn miracle that I even made it to the Bullhead before completely loosing consciousness!" Roman looked only slightly less annoyed, "Why would you go after her anyways? It was that monkey guy who was the immediate threat! Have you completely forgotten how to be a bodyguard!?" Monster looked around, wondering what to say as Roman calmed down and slumped back into a chair, "I guess it doesn't really matter, if those stupid animals were even half-competent they would have been able to fend off a few Hunteresses-in-training easily." Roman looked intently at Monster, "Still, I need to know whether you can still work for me. Do you promise to never do anything so reckless again?" Monster thought for a second; if he quit now, what would he do with his life? He was pretty skilled at almost anything he tried to do, so he could get a job anywhere he wanted. But the fact is, he didn't really _want _to do anything but fight.

It was with this thought that he made his decision, "Okay, I promise." he stood up, "I promise to stay by your side. I promise to defend you with my life. I promise, Roman, because there's nothing else that I wish to do but fight!" Roman smiled, "Be careful, kid, making such grand promises can get you killed. Besides, I still need you to leave my side occasionally so you can silence people who talk too much." It was with this that the atmosphere got far more casual, as is typical for Roman Torchwick. "Go home, kid, I've got some work to do." Monster left the warehouse and went back home, realizing that nothing had really changed.


	11. Chapter 10: The New Berserker

Chapter 10: The New Berserker

The next day, Blake was asked to give a full report on what she saw that night. She told them everything, and all of it made sense with how Dust was being stolen all over the city. All of it, except for the attacker she encountered. The way he initially attacked her matched that of the way the Crimson Berserker attacked Pyrrha, but there were several ways that he was different.

First off, his clothes were a different style from the Crimson Berserker. Instead of the vaguely punkish outfit that Pyrrha and Jaune reported, this enemy had a more formal look to him consisting of a long coat, dress pants, and loafers. However, the most distinguishably different features of this new menace were his blonde hair and stylized mask. Unfortunately, she couldn't get a very good look at his eyes, which would have confirmed whether he was the Berserker or not. There was another thing, he used the same fighting style that the Crimson Berserker used, but it seemed far faster and more controlled. His Aura also seemed more developed, being able to escape despite what should have been a fatal blow to the head. With all of these similarities and differences, the press named this enemy the New Berserker.

"Hey, Monster, look!" Cary then turned up the T.V. "Reports have come in of the thwarting of a massive Dust robbery by Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong. According to Ms. Belladonna, the robbery was conducted by wanted criminal, Roman Torchwick and the terrorist organization, the White Fang. She also reported a mysterious attacker who was similar to the Crimson Berserker. Whether this New Berserker was the true Crimson Berserker or not, only time will tell!" Monster looked at the T.V. worriedly, "Damn, I didn't think that they would make a connection so quickly!" Cary smiled, "Still, it's a cool name, right? The New Berserker, I like the sound of it." Monster found himself appreciating Cary's sense of humor, "Yeah, I guess so." Wait, _appreciating?_ That was strange, that was very, very strange. Cary must've noticed this too, "Um, you're not angry? Dude, what the heck happened to you?" Monster thought, and came to the conclusion that his date with Ruby must've simply put him in a good mood. "Nothing, I'm just feeling better today."

Ruby was going through her normal day-to-day schedule while thinking on the events of past few days. Who was this New Berserker? Was he Monster? If so, why would he be at a Dust robbery of all places? She decided that she simply didn't know enough to make any conclusions.

Six days later, Monster and Cary were assigned to an assassination. As they were going to the location of the target, Monster thought about how much he actually knew about Cary. Cary had told him how he came to be in Roman's service. Apparently Cary had been living on the streets for almost his whole childhood and had developed his Aura and Semblance out of necessity, using them to become an excellent pickpocket. What this Semblance was, Monster could only guess. After what Monster had seen, he concluded that it was either Teleportation or Time Control. Whenever he told his guesses to Cary, he just ignored Monster. Anyways, Roman recruited him after Cary attempted to steal some food from the warehouse. Roman saw potential in Cary and soon after, Monster himself was recruited. After this, the two became an effective clean-up crew. As for Cary's personality, he was always the type that kept a cheerful attitude.

As Monster thought about this, they got to the location. Monster took out a bat and katana, ready to strike. "I'll be on the roofs watching your back. You go deal with the target. He's in room 203 on the sixth floor." Nightmare said as he climbed up a pipe. The "target" for tonight was a former high-ranking henchman of Roman's. He saw too much and declared Roman his enemy; he now was in a heavily guarded abandoned apartment building. Monster decided to simply walk right in, easily knocking out the outside guards. He continued inside, sneaking past the front desk, the guard playing on his tablet. He decided to use the stairs, judging that the elevator was simply too risky. He saw two guards down the hallway, and promptly knocked them out cold with the bat. He finally got to the room that his target was in. When he was seen by the target, he begged for his life. "Please, I won't say anything! I'll move out of Vale! Just don't kill me!" he begged. "Yadda yadda yadda. You know how many of my victims beg for their lives before I kill them?" Monster said. The former henchman raised an eyebrow in response. "All of them." Monster then swung his katana, "NO!" He stopped right before hitting him. _What are you doing?_ He thought to himself, _Kill him already!_ The target must have seen his hesitation because he then put Monster into a head-lock, "I won't let you stop me!"

Nightmare then burst into the room through a large window, "Monster, get down!" Monster ducked as best he could, while Cary used his Tethered Ballistic Reeling Blade, Miserable Blood, to impale the former henchman, and then yanked it back. The target then screamed horribly as the blade tore through his lungs, ribs, and muscles, the small sharp hooks on the edges slowly and painfully dragging through. The target ultimately died from shock and blood loss. Cary looked at Monster furiously, "Why would you hesitate now!? We've literally done this dozens of times!" A realization then dawned upon him, "Is this because of Ruby!?" Monster's eyes went wide, "N-no!" Cary's face suddenly went back to the smile it always was in. "Oh, okay! I just wanted to make sure that the girl I set you up with wasn't ruining your career!" Monster felt a bit freaked out at just how furious Cary seemed to be, but ultimately understood that he's simply concerned for his little brother.


	12. Chapter 11: A Lovely Visit

Chapter 11: A Lovely Visit

Two days after that particular mission, Cary thought it would be a good idea to invite Ruby and anyone she would bring along to their apartment. Over last week, Team RWBY had simply been continuing with classes and nothing notable happened. With this, Ruby was happy for a break in the monotony. Monster and Cary spent the day cleaning the house up, and were ready for the night. "I can't wait to meet her! This is going to be fun!" Cary said excitedly. "Yeah," Monster had a dreamy look in his eyes, "it's been too long." There was then a knock at the door.

Ruby stood in front of the large apartment with Yang, intent on introducing her to Monty and his brother, Kyle. "I've been waiting for this, you know." Yang said, "I've been waiting for the day when my little sister actually had a boyfriend that she could introduce to me." Ruby responded, "Oh, don't make it so dramatic." The door then opened, "Welcome!" Monty said.

"So, you must be Yang," Monty put his hand forward, "my name is Monty, Monty Lister." "And I'm his brother," Cary said, "Kyle Lister." Yang shook both of their hands, "Thank you, your both so polite!" she then winked at Ruby, "You sure know how to pick 'em, sis!" Ruby blushed, "Yaaaaang! Don't embarrass me in front of Monty!" They all then giggled. "So, shall we sit at the table?" Kyle asked, patting Monster on the back, "Monty's a very good chef." Monster blushed as well, "Oh, stop it! I'm not that good!" They all sat down at the table.

"So, Monty," Yang asked, "what do you do for fun?" "Well," Monty responded, "I like to draw. It's a different type of fun, you know? Just letting your imagination out through pencil and paint, to me, that's the ultimate reward." "That's an interesting way to look at it!" Yang said, "And you, Kyle?" "Well, I'm more of a writer myself," he began, "I like to allow peoples' minds to paint the picture. I think it's more fun because everyone perceives things differently. If you have a messed up mind, the picture will be more messed up. If you're normal, the picture will naturally be clear and tame." Monster wondered what the hell Cary was talking about. Monster actually did draw for fun, but Cary just played videogames and read comic books. Why was he lying about his hobbies? Could there be a meaning behind his words? Monster decided that he simply wanted to look cool in front of Yang. At this thought Monty smirked. "What is it, Monty?" Ruby asked. "Oh, nothing, I just remembered something funny is all." They then continued into the night, talking about hobbies and work. Time seemed to fly as it was already 9 o' clock by the time they finished dinner. "Oh, we have school tomorrow. It's been a pleasure, Monty!" Yang said, "Thank you too, Kyle." "Bye!" Ruby said, and they both left.

"So, that was fun." Ruby said, "So, sis, did you like them?" Yang looked back suspiciously as she responded, "Monty is definitely a nice guy, but…" Ruby looked concerned, "But what?" "I don't know, there's something about Kyle… it almost seemed like he was acting…" Ruby's face lit up with the realization, "Yeah, now that I think about it, there was definitely something… unnatural in how he acted." She looked back down the hallway, wondering what was actually happening in that apartment.

As Monster closed and locked the door behind them, he heard a shot and felt a sudden pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw a dark blade with small hooks on the edges coming out of his stomach, _Miserable Blood?_ He then turned around to face Cary, still with a smile on his face, holding its hilt. "But…" Monster coughed up some blood, "why?" He then dropped to his knees.


	13. Chapter 12: The Mask Shatters

Chapter 12: The Mask Shatters

"Why, you ask? Because this wasn't a date, nor was it a casual gathering." Cary walked closer, "It was a trial." He then retracted the hooks and quickly pulled the blade out of Monster's abdomen. "Wh-what? What the hell are you talking about, you crazy son of a bitch?" Monster cursed weakly. "This was a trial to see if I was correct. You see," he then started pacing, "the first warning sign was when you fought that faunus girl and survived. The second was when you were completely fine with the name, "New Berserker"; I found that to be very strange indeed. And then, on that last mission, you hesitated to kill Jack." Monster was confused, "Wait, who's Jack?" "Oh, you didn't know? I make sure to do extensive research on every one of our targets. Fun fact, Jack had a family, two boys, and was expecting a third when we killed him." Monster was appalled at this revelation, "Y-You knew this!? Even though he had a family, you practically tortured him to death!?" Cary looked confused, "I don't know why you're so upset, you've killed fathers, police, and many more innocent civilians." Cary then grabbed Monster's head and put his face inches from his own, **_"In all reality, you're just like me!"_**

Monster pulled away with tears in his eyes, and Cary continued speaking, "Anyways, this trial proved to me what had happened to you." Monster spoke through gritted teeth, "What do you mean?" Cary smiled, "Isn't it obvious? Ruby has given you a reason to love, therefore, a reason to be human. **_Basically, Ruby has given you a soul._**""And your point is?" Monster asked, still applying pressure to his abdominal wounds. "Well, you see, I didn't think the relationship could ever go this far. I can't allow you to be stolen away by a vixen! **_You're my little brother, after all!"_** He then got out a tool box, and pulled out two jumper cables and a metal apparatus. "Essentially, I'm going to erase your memories. Just one pulse, straight through the head, **_and you'll be back to normal!_**" Monster begged in protest, "No, please! These memories are the only happiness I have! Without them, I'd surly-" Cary cut him off, "I suppose I do owe you an explanation, even if I'm about to take your memories away. Mmmm… all right, allow me to tell you about myself."

"So, first thing's first, that whole thing about being a pickpocket? That's only partially true. What I really did was **_kill people slowly, and then looted their bodies! This included my family as well!"_** Monster wasn't very surprised at this point. "Hmm, not impressed yet? Okay, maybe I'm doing this wrong. How about this, you ask me one question, and I'll answer it. M'kay?" Monster thought for a second, "Is your Semblance Time Control or Teleportation?" Cary looked unimpressed, "Oh, please, you think a wretched person like me could have something as positive as that? A Semblance always fits its user's personality; in this case my Semblance, just like my personality, is an illusion." Monster was confused, "What do you mean?" Cary smiled a bit wider, "Well, I _am_ a psychopath. Any real personality that I seem to have is only an act, an illusion," he looked more intently at Monster, "an altering of _perception_. Yes, this is my Semblance, Perception Control, the ability to completely dominate another person's perceptions. If I wanted it, I could make myself completely undetectable to you." Monster thought back to the morning when his appearance changed so suddenly. Cary must've frozen Monster's perception of time and combed him and put contacts into his eyes… Monster shuddered, how many times did this creep touch him over the past year? "That's… a terrifying ability. It fits you well." Cary crouched down, **_"Now then, it's time."_** He put the apparatus on Monsters head, and then adjusted the bolts so that the current would travel through his brain correctly. Cary then picked up the two jumper cables and tapped them together, _zap zap_. As he leaned in closer, cables just inches away from the metal bolts, Monster saw a white form outside the window.

Glass shattered and Cary turned to face the new threat, **_"You're kind of interrupting something here, would you mind kindly waiting a couple hours to burglarize us?" _**Monster watched in awe as the white figure brought its metal fist down upon Cary's head, knocking him out instantly. The last thing that Monster saw that night was the figure standing over Cary's unconscious body. He then passed out from blood loss.


	14. Chapter 13: The Man in White

Chapter 13: The Man in White

Monster woke up the next morning, _What, I'm… alive? I still remember Ruby, Yang…_ he then grimaced, _Cary..._ He then looked around the room. It was the top of some abandoned clock tower, and it wasn't luxurious. It was all made out of aging wood, and the clock itself was completely broken. On one of the walls, there was a bulletin board with pictures strewn about. They were pictures of Monster and Cary when they were assembling the New Berserker outfit. There was a question mark drawn in red over Cary's face, with the question, "Who is this?" scrawled underneath. There were several other pictures as well. One was the moment that Cary hugged him after the Cracked Mask was complete; another was of Ruby and Monster's first date. _Oh great,_ Monster thought, _a stalker._ He tried to get up to take down the pictures, but felt a searing pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw bandages wrapped around his midsection. He also saw blood packs strewn around where he was lying down. Whoever this guy was, he was intent on keeping Monster alive. "Oh, you're awake!" A man dressed in white then walked in.

The man's clothes were that of a tattered lab coat with light grey jeans and a buttoned-up white shirt. He had a light skin complexion and slanted eyes. His hair was short, bleach white, and messy. He had light blue eyes. Monster estimated him to be about 6 feet tall. He seemed strangely familiar despite the fact that Monster had never seen him before. "It's been far too long, Rou." Monster looked confused, "Uh, what? Who're you?" The man looked crestfallen, "Y-you don't remember, Rou?" "No, and who the hell is Rou!? My name is Monster." he said. "How far back can you remember?" the man asked. Monster had enough of this, "Okay, I think you should tell me something first. Who are you?" The man looked down, even more heart broken, "My name is Mikio Shiro. I'm a former scientist," he looked intently at Monster, "I'm also somebody you should be able to recognize instantly. After all, that's what family does."

Monster reeled back, "Bull crap! I don't have a family!" Shiro came closer to him, "Oh, really? Tell me, "Monster", how far back can you remember?" Monster thought for a moment, "About… 5 years? Yeah, that's it." "And how old are you?" Shiro asked, trying to drive his point home. The realization hit Monster like a bullet, "F-four… fourteen years old. Fourteen years old? I-I've never thought about it but… I'm… fourteen years old!" Shiro smiled, "Yes, that's right." His face lit up, "Hold still, I have an idea." He then put his hands on the sides of Monster's head. "What are you-" a flash of white then erupted from Shiro's hands.

"My god… dad?" said Rou.


	15. Chapter 14: Years Long Past

Chapter 14: Years Long Past

The kingdom wanted a new type of warrior to use against the creatures of Grimm, a perfect human-Grimm hybrid. They wanted this being to become the perfect Hunter, something that could single-handedly wipe out threats where humans wouldn't even begin to pose a threat. Unfortunately Grimm DNA was very hard to work with, let alone make compatible with human genes. It was as if the creatures of Grimm weren't even from this world.

So little progress was made in such a long time that the scientists started quitting on the project, but Dr. Mikio Shiro had the idea of trying to focus his hereditary Semblance "Coupling", the ability to combine two things together, down to the molecular level. The rest of his team had already quit, but he was determined to finish what he started. He decided to use Beowolf DNA since it seemed the most compatible with human genes. He then took one of the many donated human eggs from storage.

He put both samples together, and attempted to use the images from the microscope as his point of reference. He focused really hard on just the two pieces of genetic molecules, and put his hands next to them. His hands glowed white, and hummed with power as he prepared himself for possibly the most precise and difficult coupling ever done in the history of his long family lineage. Suddenly, a burst of energy came from both of his hands and directly towards the genetic material. He looked at the newly impregnated egg, amazed that he actually pulled it off.

Nine months later: The egg had grown to a full-sized baby and was ready to be delivered from its artificial womb. Despite being roughly half-Grimm, it looked like a human. Dr. Mikio wondered if he'd made an error, but all the tests stated otherwise. He decided that it was simply too early see if this child would make a good Hunter like the government wanted him to be.

One year after the birth: The child said its first words. "Dadda." he said, while looking at Mikio. He realized that the infant he was holding in his arms saw him as a parent, and wondered if he could actually raise it until it was ready to be a Hunter. He also wondered what kind of mind it had, that of a Grimm or a human? If things went as planned, it would have a bit of both.

Five years after the birth: The child had been growing at a natural pace, with Shiro and his wife, Kako, as its parents. The Mikios decided to name him Rou, and loved him as any parents would. The strange thing was that Rou was, by all definition, human. In fact, he resembled Mikio himself. Mikio could only make guesses as to why this was; the most likely case was that the energy from when he combined the egg and Grimm DNA had some sort of "humanizing" effect. The kingdom did not like this, as they wanted a beast. Shiro was deeply worried about what would happen.

Nine years after the birth: "We're taking the child now."

This came out of nowhere, and Shiro was pissed. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

The soldier then pulled out the contract and read it aloud, "At nine years of age, the Science Department of Vale is to relinquish custody of the child to the Military Branch of Vale," the soldier looked up at him, "signed by Dr. Mikio Shiro."

"Screw the contract! Things have changed since then, he's just a boy!"

The soldier continued reading, "Any violation of this contract is punishable by having Dr. Mikio's license revoked for unethical practices." The soldier looked up at him again, "Upon fulfillment of this contract, Dr. Mikio will be given one million Lien by the kingdom of Vale."

"Daddy, what's happening?" said Rou, who was now at Shiro's side. "Nothing, son, go back inside."

The soldier then whispered, "I'm sorry, but I have orders." He then used a stun rod to knock out Mikio in an instant.

"Dad!" Rou tried to wake up his father, but the soldier grabbed Rou and threw him in the back of a truck.

The drive was long, and Rou was very distressed and confused, _What's happening? Who are these people? Why did they hurt dad? _Suddenly, the truck stopped and the soldier opened up the back.

"Come on, we're here." He said.

"N-no, you hurt dad! I don't trust you!"

Rou struggled to squirm away, but the soldier forcefully grabbed him and hit him square in the eye, "Listen to me, you little shit! You're coming with me, now!"

Rou grabbed his right eye in pain and cried, "Why would you do that? Why would you hurt people?"

"Because I'm fuckin' sick and tired of this shit! Every day, they have me doin' some sort of fucking bullshit. "Move the boxes, Jerson! Get my coffee, Jerson!"" he glared at Rou, "And some little brat refusing to do things ain't helping!"

After that rant, Rou was too scared to refuse and walked with Mr. Jerson to a dark room.

"Get in there." Jerson sneered. "Aren't you coming too?" Jerson only responded by pushing Rou into the room and slamming the door.

"H-hello?" Rou asked, but he got no response, the room was pitch black.

A screen suddenly came on, and a man in uniform was on the screen, "Hello, I am the General. My actual name is confidential, so let's get started. You are the next generation of Hunter. As you are now you are weak and need training. We will start here."

A light suddenly came on behind him, illuminating a chair. "Now," the General said, "sit down."

As Rou sat down, restraints suddenly popped onto his wrists, "Wh-wha!" Rou tried to break free, but they were too strong.

The General spoke, "Now, if you don't hold still it will only hurt more. I'm sorry about this, but Mikio messed up. Now we have to make alterations manually, both mentally and physically."

Three claws then came out of the headrest, one big one that kept his head in place, and two smaller ones that pried his eyes open.

Rou's only thought was… _Why?_

The screen in front of Rou changed from the general to a black screen. A needle then injected him with some sort of fluid, which caused Rou to feel both focused and light-headed. The screen then began flashing with images and messages, and a screeching sound was played with it, meanwhile, more and more needles injected into him and changed his skin tone from a healthy light tone to a sickly pale, his eye color from light blue to blood orange, and his white hair to black hair that had streaks of white and a strand of orange as he became more and more Grimm. Rou could feel his mind breaking as he learned to accept the fact that he had no identity, and that his only purpose in life was to kill. This was it, Rou died and a Monster was born.

Monster, Monster was his name. Or was he someone else? No, he was definitely a Monster, he was in a cage. How long had Monster been alive? A year? Yeah, that must've been it. For as long as he could remember, Monster was trained to use his Semblance. Re-enforcement: the ability to re-arrange molecules in any given object or weapon to make it stronger. Unfortunately his Aura was naturally weak, so he had to Re-enforce parts of his own body to compensate. These were the only things he truly cared about, as he was let out of his cage. "Kill those creatures." The man said, there were several hundred creatures of Grimm. Or were there only ten? Didn't matter, nothing mattered. It didn't matter when he killed the creatures, didn't matter when he killed the people, nor did it matter when he was caught in a net and forced into a new cage. What did matter was that he learned, there were books in this new cage. He learned about everything, from Perspective Drawing to Geography to Calculus. But he learned from all the books and mastered all these things in only two years. All he could do after that was maintain his physical stature and wait. And then, a large man opened up his cage, and he was free.


	16. Chapter 15: Reformation

Chapter 15: Reformation

"Dad… dad!" Rou then tried to get up to hug his father, but felt the sharp pain again. "Gah! Dad, I'm so glad to see you! Where's mom? Is she here?"

Shiro then took on a more grim expression, "Rou, she's… not around anymore…"

Rou started to tear up, "What? But… no, why?"

He started to cry, and Shiro put his hand on his shoulder, "She died in an airship crash a year ago. After she died I got low. I stopped practicing medicine and went on a relentless, reckless search for you. To me, this was the only way to keep myself from taking my own life."

Rou cried for a long time, mourning the death of his mother, then looked up at Shiro, "She wouldn't want us to grieve after all this time. Besides, we have other things to worry about." Rou then looked down, "How long will this take to heal?"

Shiro understood his son's resolve, "About a week."

Rou looked annoyed, "That's a very long time to wait." He then sighed, "Hey, by the way; how did you undo the General's brainwashing?"

"I simply decided to try coupling our memories." Shiro responded, "Do you remember any thing from before you were born?"

Monster thought for a second, "Now that I think of it, yeah. Are these your memories?"

Shiro nodded, then Monster continued, "So the whole reason that I was brought into existence was to kill Grimm… well, I guess I've never been that good at doing things that others want me to do, huh?"

Shiro smiled, "I can definitely confirm that, you've always done whatever you wanted."

"Another thing, I think I understand why my Semblance is the way it is."

"Oh? Why's that?" Shiro asked.

"Well, I have the Semblance, Re-enforcement, and for a time my personality wouldn't change at all. Though, looking back, I've changed drastically in the past month."

He then looked at Shiro, who was now sitting across from him, "Tell me, can a Semblance change if the person changes?"

Shiro thought for a moment, "Well, it's never been documented before, but there have been legends of great heroes who had powers that became more helpful as they became more virtuous."

He shrugged, "I don't know. You shouldn't try anything yet; wait a week for your body to heal."

Rou then gritted his teeth, "I really don't want to. Cary might try something and I won't be there to stop it."

"You wouldn't be able to do anything anyways, just rest until you're better for now." Shiro said firmly. "By the way, I'll make sure to keep an eye on Cary." Rou felt relieved by this, and rested.

After a week, Rou tested what he could do. He took a piece of rebar and attempted to bend it. To his amazement, he managed to bend it in half and fuse the two ends together by using his Semblance as usual while using some of his physical strength as well. He kept practicing day after day, until he got to the point where he could turn a chunk of cement into a beautiful sculpture just by touching it.

"Reformation," he began telling his dad, "The ability to completely change the form of matter. This is my new Semblance."

Shiro seemed skeptical, "I wouldn't say that your Semblance has changed, it's more like it's been amplified. Really, Re-enforcement and Reformation are the same thing on the atomic level."

Rou thought back to what Cary said, "So, dad, Cary told me back then that Ruby had given me a soul. Is that true?"

Shiro looked unimpressed, "Do you really think that you could possibly have a Semblance without a soul?" Rou thought about it, "I guess not…" Shiro then continued, "However, I believe it is possible for human interaction and bonding to strengthen the soul. And since souls are directly related to Semblance and Aura, both would naturally become stronger as well."

"That must be why I lost Killing Drive. Wait," Rou seemed confused, "doesn't that mean that Cary should be powerless? I mean, he said it himself, he's a psychopath."

Shiro looked very grim, "There's two different ways to "bond" with people. You could take a light path, like with you and Ruby;" he hesitated in saying the next part, "or you could choose a darker path, an evil path. Fear, anger and sadness are just as powerful as love and happiness. I don't know anything about him, but I think Cary is lying when he says he's a psychopath. I think he was weak, and wanted to become strong. He probably discovered that he had a knack for torture, not only physical but psychological, and honestly, going into one's mind and tearing them apart from the inside is one of the deepest bonds two humans could possibly have. As for his Semblance, he probably gained it because at this point his emotional and mental state has degraded so much that he had to learn how to put up a front."

Rou took in the information, "We should think of some way to stop him. If we leave him alone he'll just keep hurting people. There's no way we'd be able to take him on in a head-on fight, he's way too powerful for that." he thought for a second, "If there's one thing that's certain, it's that we should think of a strategy to stop him for good."


	17. Chapter 16: The Depraved Rat

Chapter 16: The Depraved Rat

"Ya neva ben a good son! You piece of shit!" He then hit him again, "Yer the biggest disappointment eva, ya shouldn't have eva ben born!"

He kicked him in the gut, and Cary got back up again, holding his bruised stomach, "Well at least I don't constantly come home drunk!"

His father looked at him with anger in his eyes, "What'd you say!? You little fuck!"

He then charged towards Cary. Cary quickly jumped out of the way and his father crashed into the wall, knocking him out instantly.

Cary then ran over to the corner, "Are you okay, brother?"

Cary's brother, August, who was two years younger than him, looked up with tears in his eyes, "Is it over yet?"

Cary hugged him, "Yes, brother, you're safe as always, and I promise I will always protect you."

* * *

Cary woke up the next day to find the house empty. It was a terrible feeling, not having Monster around. This terror was only cemented by the fact that he couldn't even begin to imagine where that kidnapper might have brought Monster to. He was so close, just another second and he would have had his brother back! _Maybe I'll think of the solution later._ He then went to the kitchen, and began to prepare a meal.

* * *

They were both standing on the sidewalk, waiting to be picked up from school. Cary smiled down at his brother, "What happened at school today?"

August looked up at him, "Some kid bullied me today! He was really mean; he knocked my lunch out of my hands and kicked me in the stomach!"

Cary was shocked, "What!? Did you at least call the teacher?"

August looked down in shame, "Well, after that I sort of, um, punched him back as hard as I can."

Cary had a look of disappointment now, "You know that you shouldn't continue violence, August, only trouble can come from that."

August looked up, "I know, I just made a mistake, that's all."

* * *

Cary poured water into the kettle, and got out the tea bags. As he was waiting for the water to be ready, he began to fry up some eggs. He remembered how much Monster used to love eggs, especially when they were served with pancakes. He smiled at these memories, these memories of family and love and friendship. His thoughts migrated to how he would get him back.

* * *

As they were sitting at home, their dad came home drunk again. As usual, August cowered in the corner and Cary tried his best to defend him. Except this time, he couldn't quite stop his drunken father and got knocked to the ground with a thud. His dad walked over to August, and started beating him ferociously. August cried out in pain and Cary was helpless to do anything.

* * *

As he poured the hot water and put the teabag into it, he kept wondering what to do. Monster wasn't anywhere that he knew of and the police definitely couldn't help out. This whole thing presented so many complications and Cary didn't have the slightest idea of where to start. Then, an idea came to his mind.

* * *

He crawled over to his brother afterwards, "August, please, forgive me! I wasn't strong enough to protect you, I'm so sorry!"

August was covered in bruises, "I don't blame you. This isn't your fault," he propped himself up to look at Cary, "it's mine. You've been protecting me for as long as I can remember. It's me who needs to become stronger."

Cary began to tear up, "No, I need to be stronger. You should be able to have a normal childhood." He looked at August, "Please, allow me to be your champion!"

* * *

In the dead of night, Cary went over to Beacon. He snuck through the Emerald Forest, the courtyard, and finally he made the climb up to Ruby's dorm. He checked and saw that her and her team was fast asleep. He then took out the syringe of anesthetics that he had brought along, and then injected Ruby while holding her mouth shut. She passed out after an initial struggle, and he carried her back to his apartment.

* * *

When Cary got home, he saw something that he would never forget. His mother was holding a bloody meat cleaver, and standing over his brother and father. They had multiple missing limbs, and almost all of their skin had been removed.

His mother turned around to face him, she was smiling. "Oh, hello there, we were just having a bit of family fun. Come on, son, join us!"

Cary's head throbbed with rage, his sanity breaking. He felt an energy around him that felt so much more powerful than anything else, **"_Why, of course, Mom! Here, let me have my turn!_"** He then grabbed the cleaver and began cutting, her screams only fueling his rage. He started getting into her head, both literally and metaphorically, and only felt stronger for it. **_"Oh, so this is how I get stronger! I guess I'll have to keep doing this until I'm the strongest!"_**

* * *

When Ruby woke up, she found herself handcuffed to a radiator, "Huh? What!? This, this is Monty's apartment!"

"Yes, it's mine as well!" Cary then walked into the room.

Ruby looked at him angrily, "Kyle!? Kyle, why would you do this!?"

Cary leaned in really close, "First of all, my name is Cary. Call me Nightmare, if you'd like. Second of all, there's something you don't know about Monty."

Ruby looked at him confusedly, "What do you mean?"

* * *

Cary had tortured his final victim for the night, feeling ever more powerful. He cleaned off his torture machine, Miserable Blood. It was really nothing more than a modified blade cobbled together with a strong tether reel and a firing mechanism with two triggers, one for firing it and one for gripping tightly so that he could yank it back. There was also a button on the back of the grip that allowed him to extend and retract the hooks that came out of the blade. Truly, it was a nasty piece of equipment as well as a brilliant invention of engineering, and Cary took pride in it.

As he was thinking this, the door behind him opened up, "Hey, it's your shif- WOAH!" Cary turned around; the henchman had his hand over his mouth. "Hey, what's wrong!?" Another henchman came up next to him, then another, then another, until there were about a dozen henchmen right in front of him. _Shit, there's too many people! I can't make myself undetectable to this many!_ He looked around the room, trying to find a way out.

Just then, a man in a white suit walked through the crowd and right up to Cary, then ignored him as he walked by. "So, you did this, huh?" he then examined the remains of the guard Cary had just tortured to death. He had a gag on and most of his skin had been removed.

The man walked back to Cary, "I see, you want to be more powerful, don't you?"

Cary nodded, surprised that this man somehow knew about it.

The man then reached a hand out to shake, "I'm Roman Torchwick, criminal extraordinaire, and I happen to know a lot about the dark path to power that you have chosen. If you work for me, you'll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Cary shook his hand, "Thank you, Roman. It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Ruby leaned back and processed everything Cary had just told her, "I guess I only have one question, then. What are you going to do with me?"

Cary casually walked back into the room with a tea kettle and two teacups, "Oh, well that's simple. I'm going to keep you here until Monster inevitably comes to save you, then I'll erase his memories and we'll happily kill you."

He then took a sip of tea, "Mmmm, want a cup?"


	18. Chapter 17: A Dysfunctional Product

Chapter 17: A Dysfunctional Product

Rou was shaken awake, "Rou! Rou!" Shiro yelled.

Rou was awake instantly, "What is it!?"

Shiro stood up, "Cary has taken Ruby prisoner!"

Rou's eyes shot wide, "What!? Where are they!?"

"He's keeping her in your apartment! He seems to be waiting for you."

Rou thought for a second, "Dammit, why'd he have to get Ruby involved!? Okay, I have a plan. You said that you made sure to take the New Berserker outfit?"

"Yeah." Shiro responded.

"Great, I'll need to wear that one last time. I can't let Ruby know about my secret, so I'm going to save her as the New Berserker."

Shiro looked confused, "Wouldn't that just give it away?"

Rou responded, "I'll make it look like the madman that is the New Berserker just happened to be rampaging through the building, and then coincidentally missed her and hit her handcuffs instead of her head."

Shiro only responded with an interested nod, and walked over to some loose floorboards. He lifted the New Berserker outfit from the floor and handed it to Rou. "I'll watch you from a distance as backup." Without another word, they walked to the apartment building.

Rou was in full costume, down the hall from his room, _This is crazy,_ he thought to himself, _there's no way this half-baked idea will work!_ He sighed to himself then reformed two bars of steel into a single-edged short sword and a club. Then he activated Controlled Violence, the non-lethal and more precise version of Killing Drive, and began rushing down the hallway screaming while cutting a large gash in the wall. He burst into the room and found Ruby, with Miserable Blood held at her neck. "Monster, don't act so silly, please."

Rou stood there, unsure of what to do, then Ruby spoke up, "I-is it true? Are you Monster?" tears began to form in her eyes, "Is Monster Monty!?"

Cary grinned widely, _"Yes, please! Tell us! The mystery is killing me!"_

Rou thought for a moment, and only saw one way out. "No, Ruby." He removed his mask, "I am not the Crimson Berserker, nor am I Monty Lister. I'm not Monster, either."

Cary was angered, "What the hell are you talking about!? Stop playing games, Monster!"

Rou's expression was stone-cold by now, "I'm not playing games. My father, Mikio Shiro, recently gave me back my memories. Before I met Ruby, before I met you, before I met the General who started it all, I was created by his hands. I was born to serve the kingdom with absolute loyalty, but I was a dysfunctional product in their system. They locked me up for over two years with nothing but books to read and time to kill. Then Roman became my employer,"

Cary had heard enough of this, "I don't care who you think you are, let me change you back now or I'll kill Ruby!"

Rou then smiled, "and you became my brother. The moments we've spent together are some of the happiest moments of my life, Cary. I know you think that it's all an illusion, but our bond is real. I know that I'm the most important person in the world to you, but you have to understand that I have to get stronger now. I have to get stronger so that I can protect myself, protect you." He then threw the Cracked Mask to the floor, shattering it into a million pieces, "But I can't do this alone. I'm so weak, I need my big brother to help me."

Tears began to run down Cary's face, "I-I don't…" he then slid down the wall next to Ruby, "I don't know what to say. How to react… this doesn't make any sense. How could you say that? I was literally about to kill your beloved, and you call me your brother? Are you insane?"

Rou smiled, "No, I can say these things because I understand you. In all reality, I've lived with you for over a year. In that amount of time, I've seen you for who you really are. Of course," he then looked at Ruby, a glint in his eye, "I wouldn't be able to think on it without you, Ruby. Before you rekindled my soul, my mind wasn't clear enough to recognize who Cary truly was. I would've never been able to save him."

Rou then walked over, hugging both of them, "Thank you, thank you both. If you hadn't helped me, I would've destroyed myself."

They stayed like that for about a minute, and then Ruby said, "Um, this is sweet and all, but would you mind un-cuffing me?"

Cary then stood up, "Oh, sorry. Here you go." He then pulled out the keys and unlocked the handcuffs, "Uh, No hard feelings?"

Ruby gave a smile, "Nope, I understand now. You got overprotective! But don't worry, it happens to the best of us."

Shiro then walked in, "I've been watching from outside, what in the world did you say, Rou?" "The truth, dad." Rou smiled.

Ruby and Cary shook his hand, "Hi, Mr. Mikio! I'm Ruby, and I've been dating your son for the past month." "I'm Cary, and I'm your son's adoptive older brother!" Cary said.

Shiro looked at them both, "He talks about you two all the time. It seems that you've become quite close indeed."

Ruby giggled a bit, Shiro raised an eyebrow, "What? What did I say?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you remind me a bit of Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon."

"Speaking of which," Shiro then looked out the window, "isn't your team worried about you?" "Oh, I almost forgot, they must be worried sick!"

She then ran out the door, "Now then," Shiro looked back at Rou and Cary, "let's talk about what to do from now on. First off, you're both going to have to separate from Roman Torchwick. Then, you'll both have to find different-"

He was cut off by Ruby poking her head through the doorway, "What are you waiting for?"

All three of them looked at her confusedly, then Ruby said, "I want to introduce you all to the team!" Then all four of them left, almost completely forgetting about what just happened a few minutes ago.

Yang was the first to spot her, "Ruby? Ruby!" She and the rest of the team ran at full speed to her, "Where have you been!? I thought you were kidnapped! Were you kidnapped!?" She then looked at the three people behind her, "You bastards! I'll-"

Ruby cut her off, "I'm sorry for not telling you, but I've been spending time with Monty and his family."

Rou thought for a second, and decided that it's probably best to allow them to continue believing the lie that is Monty Lister. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the case.

Blake's eyes opened wide, "His eyes! He's the Crimson Berserker!"

Rou couldn't believe it, _You're serious, of all times I forget my disguise now…_

He kept mentally punching himself, even as Ruby's team held them all down, at Ruby's protest, as the police swarmed and apprehended all of them.


	19. Chapter 18: New Beginnings

Chapter 18: New Beginnings

Rou could've easily resisted arrest, he could've gotten his family away. But he didn't really trust himself with his own strength. Sure, Controlled Violence could be described as "non-lethal", but he had learned throughout the years that anything could be deadly. He was thinking all this while he, Cary, and Shiro all sat in the same cell.

Cary broke the silence, "This is ridiculously ironic. As soon as we were ready to leave the past behind, the police finally catch us."

"Well, its no thanks to me and my forgetfulness." Rou said, pointing at his eye, "By the way, I just realized something. Dad, why is it that when you combined your memories with mine I didn't know that mom had died?"

Shiro shrugged, "Coupling isn't the most thorough Semblance in the world. Plus, I was specifically targeting my memories of you."

Cary looked very concerned, "Your mother died?"

Rou looked slightly depressed, "Yeah, she apparently died in an airship crash a year ago."

Cary was about to express his shock when Professor Ozpin walked into the jail, "Ruby has informed me of your situations, and begged me to defend you in court. My power in such matters is limited, however, so I can only do so much." And with that, Ozpin left the jailhouse.

"Don't worry, Rou. I'm sure we'll be able to get you out of there." Ruby reassured him, "The same goes for you, too." She added, looking at Cary and Shiro.

"By the way," Cary said, "why were we arrested as well?"

"Well, the way I understand it is that it's believed that you two have been aiding him from behind the scenes. The only reason I wasn't arrested is because I explained who you really are, but nobody believes me and thinks that you tricked me." She held Rou's hand through the bars, a look of confidence on her face, "I'm certain that Professor Ozpin will help you, though."

After a few days they all were transported to a courthouse. The first to be brought to trial was Rou. "Mikio Rou, you have been accused by the city of Vale, of the murder of 66 people."

The words hit Rou like a bullet to the heart, _Holy shit, I've killed that many people? Is that even possible!?_

The judge then looked up from his paper, a look of defiant neutrality on his face, "How do you plead?"

"I-I…" Rou looked around the room. He wasn't sure of what to say, _What does one do in a situation like this?_

The judge raised an eyebrow, "Well? How do you plead?"

Rou was sweating by now, whatever he said now would change his future. He then decided to do something that went against his good nature, "Not guilty!"

The whole room went into a fit of commotion, and the judge brought his hammer down, "Silence in the court!" He then looked at Rou, "Mikio Rou, is this your final plead?"

Rou wasn't very confident with his outright lie, but kept with it anyways, "Yes."

Up next was Shiro, who pleaded not guilty as well. Cary also pleaded not guilty. After a leave of absence, the three of them stood in front of the judge, "The Crimson Berserker has been found guilty of all charges. Cary Black has been found guilty of murder as well due to recently found evidence. Mikio Shiro, however, has been found innocent due to lack of evidence."

Rou wasn't very surprised, considering the fact that his face had been on every news network after that first incident. He wasn't very surprised that Cary had been found guilty either, since the wound found on Jack would definitely match Miserable Blood, which Cary had been carrying when they were caught.

The judge then continued, "Due to a proposal by Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy, you'll serve your sentence by training as Dread Hunters and spending your lives fighting the creatures of Grimm, until you're unfit for service. At that time, you will be relieved of your sentence." He then brought the hammer down, "Court dismissed."

Rou found this sentence unsettling. He had heard of Dread Hunters, he had also heard that they got their name by having the reputation of being the Hunters with the shortest estimated life-spans. Dread Hunters were unusually strong criminals, though sometimes volunteers, who were given the most dangerous jobs. However, Rou was certain that he would be able to handle anything they threw at him, especially after receiving proper training.

Cary and Rou were given 3 days to pack whatever they wanted to bring to the school.

Cary giggled to himself.

"What is it?" Rou asked.

"Oh, nothing, I just find it ironic that you've ended up doing what you were made for." Cary responded, an amused tone in his voice.

Rou laughed a bit too, "Maybe that whole abandoned program ended up working after all."

After that short exchange, they packed all their stuff up. Cary packed his videogames and comics. Rou took all of his art supplies and made sure to bring a few bars of metal so that he could make them into his weapons.

Cary looked down at his blade, "Hey Rou, you think Miserable Blood could be used against creatures of Grimm?"

"Well, I don't know. It's designed to give targets overwhelming pain, right? Do you think they can feel pain?" Rou then remembered Cary's recently affected psyche, "Do you _want_ them to feel pain?"

Cary seized up at the question, then gave a smile, "Now, Rou, don't flatter yourself." His smile then contorted into a mad grin, **_"You may have made me into a slightly better man, but my name is still Cary Black! It's only natural that the Nightmare continues as long as I live!"_**

Rou backed up a bit, but was still calm, "But not for people, right?"

Cary was suddenly calm, "Of course not. I'm not some morally bankrupt monster." He then gave Rou a smirk, "Unlike some people."

Rou sighed, it would take a very long time for Cary to totally change from…**_that_**, to a relatively normal person. But, at least Rou was able to give him a push in the right direction.

The day finally came when they boarded an airship to Beacon, ready to be there for the next four years of there lives. It was slightly amusing as Cary casually pointed out the path he took to get to Beacon on-foot to kidnap Ruby, as everyone but Rou backed away from him slowly. When they got there, the first person to greet them was Shiro.

"Dad! Why are you here?" Rou asked.

"Professor Ozpin hired me as a science teacher here at Beacon." He responded.

"Really? I'm guessing that he hired you due to your previous work?" Rou speculated.

Shiro gave a small laugh, "Sure, something like that. Well, I've got to go now, see ya!"

Rou looked up at the school, ready for a new future.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is the end of the first arc of RWBY: Dysfunctional Product. I'll continue with the second story arc come August 1****st****. Please rate and review, I always appreciate feedback from the readers! Thank you for reading!**


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